A social media influencer has encountered fierce criticism online following claims she was wrongly stopped from boarding a flight due to a “common” passport mistake.

Charlotte Taundry was about to depart from Birmingham Airport to Dublin with Ryanair when she was stopped at the gate and told her passport wasn’t valid.

Although the document showed an expiry date of October 2026, airline staff explained it couldn’t be used because it had been issued in January 2016, placing it beyond the 10-year validity period required for travel to many European destinations.

Charlotte believed her passport was still valid, explaining that it included an additional nine months carried over from a previous document – a practice that was permitted before Brexit.

She also insisted she had recently travelled to several European cities, including Berlin, Paris and Amsterdam, using the same passport without any issues, reports Birmingham Live.

However, she was removed from the Dublin flight after staff determined the document was invalid under current rules.

Charlotte Taundry made a passport mistake(Image: Jam Press/Charlotte Taundry)

Speaking about the incident, Charlotte, from Staffordshire, said she initially accepted the decision, believing the rule applied to Ireland, as reported by creatorzine.com. However, after sharing her experience online, others were quick to point out that Ireland is not part of the Schengen Area and operates under its own entry requirements, suggesting the 10-year rule does not apply in the same way. As a result, some social media users accused her of misreading the regulations, while others criticised the airline’s handling of the situation.

Charlotte Taundry’s video amassed 258,000 views, along with more than 1,482 likes and 175 comments.

One user wrote: “Different rules for UK / Ireland travel – it’s not affected by Brexit and Schengen rules.

“UK and Ireland are in the Common Travel Area – that person who denied boarding was wrong – claim your costs back.”

Laura commented: “It has to be within 10 years of issue plus there needs to be 3 months remaining.

“The two requirements are separate – the 3 months remaining could be after the 10 years since issue date.”

Another user remarked: “What’s the point in an expiry date if it’s not the actual date of expiry? Makes zero sense.”

Rebecca wrote: “For goodness sake. Pay for a passport, but I can’t even use if for the amount of time you pay for. Ridiculous.”

Ian commented: “What a thick woman. Everyone surely knows now it’s 10 years from date of issue!”

One person added: “It’s been common knowledge for years now. Wake up.”

The influencer has since attempted to contact Ryanair for clarification but claims she is yet to receive a response.

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